WORK AND PENSIONS

Local Authorities (Benefit Administration)

Malcolm Wicks: We are publishing today the quarterly performance statistics for local authority administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit (HB and CTB). These statistics are for the first two quarters performance of 2002–03; in the future they will be updated every three months. A copy of the quarterly statistics for all local authorities in Great Britain has been placed in the Library and has been published on the Department for Work and Pensions website at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/other_stats.html.
	This will make councils more accountable to the public as we publish, for the first time, figures for how quickly they process housing benefit and council tax benefit.
	Publishing these statistics is part of our strategy for reforming housing benefit. It is right and proper that the public see how well or how badly their council is doing. Housing benefit is a vital weapon in our attack on poverty and our Welfare to Work programme. Good housing benefit performance can have a significant impact in tackling poverty and providing opportunity, whereas poor performance restricts opportunity and leaves people facing financial problems. We are using these statistics to challenge poor performance.
	It is unacceptable that the worst performing councils take up to five times longer to process claims than the best performers. Council leaders and chief executives need to take responsibility where there are serious performance failures and act to improve delivery. We are working with councils to improve efficiency.
	These figures, based on a selection of performance indicators, show that nationally the time taken to process new claims has improved by around 4 days to an average of 8 weeks. But they also highlight widespread variations across individual councils.
	For example, in the second quarter of 2002–03:
	Over 100 councils were processing new claims for housing benefit within 34 calendar days on average, while the worst performing councils were taking up to 162 days.
	Changes of circumstances were being handled in around 3 days in some councils, but in excess of 100 days in others.
	The target of 14-days for issuing decisions on claims in which all the necessary information has been supplied, was being met in 100 per cent of cases in some councils but in only 20 per cent of cases in others.
	The statistics cover the following areas of performance:
	average time for processing new claims
	average time for processing changes of circumstances
	percentage of renewal claims processed on time
	percentage of cases calculated correctly
	percentage of new claims decided within 14 days of receipt of the local authority receiving all necessary information
	percentage of new Rent Allowance claims where the first payment is made on time.
	The statistics are unaudited and are provided quarterly by local authorities to the Department.
	The latest annual audited Best Value performance information for English local authorities is for 2001–02 and was published by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 12 December 2002 on the Best Value Performance Indicators website at http://www.bvpi.gov.uk/home.asp. A copy is available in the Library.
	The most recent corresponding data for local authorities in Wales are for 2000–01. This is published on the Audit Commission website at http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/pis/pi_data_01shtml. A copy of the relevant extract from this site is available in the Library. The Local Government Data Unit for Wales intends to publish audited performance information for 2001–02 by the end of this financial year.
	The most recent corresponding data for local authorities in Scotland are for 2001–02 and are in the Accounts Commission publication "Performance Indicators 2001/2002: Benefits, Finance and Corporate Issues", a copy of which is available in the Library.

Angus Council (Benefit Fraud)

Malcolm Wicks: On behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate (BFI) inspection report on Angus Council was published today and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
	This follow-up report finds that Angus Council has responded positively to the BFI's first inspection in May 2000 and has made many improvements in the way that it administers and counters fraud in housing benefit and council tax benefit. For example, the council has introduced the Verification Framework and a new claim form to make the benefits gateway more secure.
	The council has also improved the quality of its fraud investigations and this has enabled it to make good use of sanctions as a deterrent. Importantly the council has significantly increased the number of staff employed in benefits and counter-fraud work.
	This report notes that the council has acknowledged that it still needs to improve in some areas. In particular, it needs to improve its speed of benefits claims processing and to do this it must finally eradicate its small backlog of work that had built up since the middle of 2001–02.
	Senior officers and elected Members have a close interest in benefits and counter-fraud activity and were closely monitoring efforts to clear the backlog.
	In the first inspection, the BFI reported that the council needed to make better use of a wider range of methods to recover overpaid benefits. This follow-up report finds that the council has put in place effective processes and is performing well against targets. However, to prevent the total debt outstanding rising year on year, the council will need to increase the rates at which it makes recoveries.
	In 2001–02, Angus Council administered approximately £20.5 million in housing benefits. This is approximately 9 per cent. of its total gross revenue expenditure.
	The report makes recommendations to help the council address the remaining weaknesses and to further improve the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit, as well as counter-fraud activities.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

Jack Straw: I have today placed in the Library copies of the statement made to the United Nations Security Council on 27 January by Dr Blix of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and Dr El Baradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).